2008 Audi A3: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
43 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
25,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2008 model year. Data snapshot: . 25 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 24 of 43 complaints (55.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 12 | 27.9% |
| Braking behavior | 6 | 14.0% |
| Engine operation | 4 | 9.3% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 24 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 10 |
| Power Train | 3 |
| Electrical System | 1 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 1 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 1 |
| Structure:Body | 1 |
Air Bags: 24; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 10; Power Train: 3; Electrical System: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 1; Fuel/Propulsion System: 1; Structure:Body: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 10 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 5 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 1 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 5 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 2 |
| 150,000 and above | 2 |
Under 25,000: 10; 25,000 to 49,999: 5; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 5; 100,000 to 149,999: 2; 150,000 and above: 2
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (10). 18 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 3 |
2009: 9; 2010: 5; 2011: 2; 2014: 2; 2016: 10; 2017: 8; 2018: 4; 2019: 3
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 12 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 6 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 4 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10275696 · 2009-07-03 (July 3, 2009)
DIRECT SHIFT GEARBOX (DSG) TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP. SECOND TO FIRST DOWNSHIFT WOULD BE SEVERE WITH A LOUD "CLUNK" FROM THE DSG. WENT TO DEALER AND VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY TCU(MECHATRONICS MODULE). PART IS ON BACKORDER AND WILL TAKE OVER 1 MONTH TO GET IN. WAS TOLD THAT VEHICLE IS OKAY TO DRIVE BUT WITH THE UNCERTAINTY OF RELIABLE PERFORMANCE AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO OTHER TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS I DON'T AGREE. HAVE RESEARCHED AND FOUND MANY OTHER AUDI AND VW OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND SIMILA…
Owner-reported narrative. 16,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10275696 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10278353 · 2009-07-26 (July 26, 2009)
I HAVE AN AUDI A3 2008 WITH DSG TRANSMISSION. I DROVE IT ON VACATION FROM COLUMBUS OHIO TO NH ABOUT A 15 HR DRIVE. WHEN I WAS IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC THE RPM'S WOULD DIP AS I WOULD APPLY THE BREAK CAUSING THE CAR TO NEARLY STALL. EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENED I HAD TO REACT QUICKLY AS TO MAKE SURE NOT TO HIT THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN I WOULD LET OFF THE BREAK THE CAR WOULD SURGE FORWARD CAUSING ME TO ABRUPTLY HAVE TO HIT THE BREAK. I TOOK IT TO AUDI AND THEY CLAIM THAT IN HOT WEATHER THIS HAPPENS AND IS A SIDE EFFECT OF THE MECHATRONIC CONTROL …
Owner-reported narrative. 19,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10278353 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10279447 · 2009-08-05 (August 5, 2009)
WHEN FEATHERING THE GAS PEDAL THROUGH TRAFFIC, THE CAR SURGES/LURCHES TRYING TO FIND GEAR. ALSO, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN PULLING OUT OF A SIDE STREET OR TAKING OFF FROM A RED LIGHT, WHEN PUSHING ON THE GAS PEDAL, ALL OF A SUDDEN IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS NO POWER. WE BOUGHT THE CAR IN EARLY '08 AND THE PROBLEM RANDOMLY STARTED TOWARDS THE END OF '08. AT THAT TIME WE THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN JUST BAD GAS. IT SEEMS THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT AS OF LATE. READING FORUMS AND ARTICLES ONLINE, IT SEEMS TO BE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE TRANSMISS…
Owner-reported narrative. 14,875 miles reported. Look up ODI 10279447 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10279453 · 2009-08-05 (August 5, 2009)
I HAVE A 2008 AUDI A3 2.0T DSG. MY PROBLEM IS WITH THE DSG. WHILE SITTING AT A STOPLIGHT I WILL LIFT OFF THE BRAKE TO GO, THE CAR WILL LURCH FORWARD AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL DISENGAGE. I THEN MUST WAIT A FEW SECONDS FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO RE-ENGAGE. THIS CAN BE A PROBLEM IF THERE ARE PEOPLE BEHIND ME. I HAVE BEEN NEARLY HIT ON A FEW OCCASIONS. THIS PROBLEM IS RANDOM AND THE DEALER SERVICE TECH'S HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPLICATE IT TO THEIR SATISFACTION. THE CAR DID NOT DO THIS WHEN I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10279453 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10282675 · 2009-09-02 (September 2, 2009)
FROM A STOP, OR SLOW SPEEDS, TRANSMISSION WAS LURCHING W/OUT AN APPARENT PATTERN. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 7,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10282675 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10283325 · 2009-09-08 (September 8, 2009)
I HAVE AN AUDI A3 2008 2.0 MODEL THAT WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 11/07. I STARTED EXPERIENCING A HESITATION WITH THE TRANSMISSION A FEW MONTHS AGO. BASICALLY, FROM A ROLLING START IN 1ST GEAR, THERE CAN BE A JERKY ACTION WITH THE CAR. I DON'T THINK THIS IS TURBO LAG BECAUSE I CAN HEAR THE CLUTCH TRYING TO CATCH ONTO THE GEAR. ON TOP OF THAT, WHEN I SLOW THE CAR DOWN (I.E. 40 MPH TO 0 MPH), I FEEL A JERK EVERY TIME THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS. TO MY PASSENGERS, THEY FEEL AS IF I AM SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES AND THEN RELEASING THE BRAK…
Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10283325 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10286014 · 2009-10-01 (October 1, 2009)
PREMATURE WEAR OF TIRES AND EXCESSIVE NOISE FROM TIRES WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVING. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 25,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10286014 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10291525 · 2009-11-09 (November 9, 2009)
2008 AUDI A3 3.2 DSG: TRANSMISSION WOULD DROP VIOLENTLY FORCING A REDUCTION IN SPEED. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR SOMETIMES WOULD NOT LET THE CAR ACCELERATE...ENGINE REVOLUTIONS WOULD NOT RISE. DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN A SAFE SPEED CONSISTENTLY. TAKING TWO BOTH DEALERSHIPS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY (THE COLLECTION AND PRESTIGE). THE SERVICE EVENTUALLY DID NOTHING TO THE CAR. AUDI WOULD NOT HONOR ANY SERVICE WITHOUT ECM LOGGED ERRORS. I SAW A RECALL INVESTIGATION ON LATER MODEL CARS, BUT A CONTINUING INVESTIGATION ON CARS INCLUDING MY MODEL YEAR FOR THE E…
Owner-reported narrative. 5,600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10291525 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
09V377000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly
Reported: 2009-09-30 (September 30, 2009)
VOLKSWAGEN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 THROUGH 2010 AUDI A3, TT, AND TT ROADSTER PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 AND AUGUST 26, 2009. THE CLOSING FORCE OF AN INTERNAL SPRING OF THE FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE IS NOT ADEQUATE ENOUGH TO HOLD THE VALVE CLOSED UNDER EXTREME DRIVING CONDITIONS POSSIBLY ALLOWING FUEL TO LEAK.
Consequence: IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: VOLKSWAGEN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND AUDI DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TANK VENTILATION VALVE WITH AN IMPROVED VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 16, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AUDI AT 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA campaign record ↗16V079000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module
Reported: 2016-02-10 (February 10, 2016)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2006 Volkswagen Passat sedans and wagons, 2005-2013 Audi A3, and 2006-2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began March 2017. Volkswagen owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Audi owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.
NHTSA campaign record ↗18V082000 · Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module
Reported: 2018-01-30 (January 30, 2018)
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2006-2013 Audi A3, 2007-2009 A4 Cabriolet and S4 Cabriolet, 2008 RS4 Cabriolet, 2009-2012 Q5, and 2010-2012 Audi A5 Cabriolet and S5 Cabriolet vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator with an alternative inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69R6. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 16V-078.
NHTSA campaign record ↗